Timothy Egan has another excellent essay, “The Grifter’s Tale”, up at his NYT blog:
Judson Phillips is a Tennessee lawyer, specializing in personal injury lawsuits, drunk-driving cases and men who get into trouble beating their wives. It was his idea to incorporate Tea Party Nation as a money-making venture and charge $349 to hear Sarah Palin talk about what’s wrong with America over steak and lobster this weekend in Nashville.
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Andrew Young is a North Carolina lawyer, specializing in John Edwards. The deceptions. The baby born to the mistress. It was his job to make sure the Diet Sprite never ran low. And when Edwards suggested that Young co-habitate with the senator’s mistress, to further an outrageous lie, Young set up the guest room and explained to his family that they now had new members.
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If there’s money to be made hitching your wagon to a politician trading in populism, well, who can fault these fine men for seizing the opportunity. They must know, the check is more reliable than the politician…
I was an Edwards suppporter in the 2008 primaries, and I still think it’s a sign of our national political immaturity that his crappy personal behavior is somehow considered to have invalidated his “Two Americas” proposals. But I have to admit that Egan has a good argument that Edwards and Palin are in some ways spiritual kin.